Effects of Salt Concentration on Bacterial Growth - Essay Example

Isotonic as used by researchers refers to two environments with equal molar concentrations of solutes dissolved in them. For cells in an isotonic solution, the rate of water inflow into the cell and outflow equalizes. A sodium chloride solution of 0.9 is isotonic to animal cells. On the other hand, hypotonic is a term used to describe a solution with more water and fewer solutes compared to that of a cell or another solution (Excerpta medica foundation, 2007). When a cell is in a hypotonic solution, water moves into the cell. Finally, hypertonic refers to a solution with more solutes and less water compared to that of a cell or another solution.

% of sodium chloride solution

Staphylococcus epidermidis

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

1%

No growth

 growth

7%

Growth

No growth

15%

Growth

No growth

Staphylococcus epidermis exhibits less or no growth in a solution of sodium chloride of 1%.  In solutions of 7% and 15% staphylococcus epidermis increased in number and in size. At 1% solution of sodium chloride Saccharomyces, cerevisiae exhibited growth and reproduction. While at 7% and 15%, they died because they could not withstand the osmotic pressure created.

This shows that staphylococcus epidermis is highly resistant at high concentrations of Sodium chloride and low resistance at low concentrations of sodium chloride. On the other hand, saccharomyces cerevisiae is less resistant to high concentrations of sodium chloride (excerpta medica foundation, 2007)